Four power moves to boost direct bookings ??
It’s no secret - OTAs are great for exposure, but if you rely completely on them, you will lose your guest data and the possibility to connect with guests and cultivate loyalty.?
So, what can you do to balance the scale? Here are some tactics you can use to make sure your direct bookings are a fair share of your total business.?
1. Create a direct line from initial interest to booking
Before booking, users often check the hotel’s website for info and photos. That’s your chance to connect and convince them to book directly.
A chatbot or web messenger could grab this opportunity by welcoming guests or offering more information, establishing a direct line of communication to drive organic bookings.
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2. Offer a destination - not a place to sleep
Your website and social media are your best tools to excite guests about your brand. However, there’s a big difference between simply showing room photos and truly telling a story.?
This gives you a direct advantage over OTAs: your website and social media can use formats that OTAs don't support, allowing you to showcase your brand even more.
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3. Use Micro-Engagement Campaigns?
Segmentation is your secret weapon. Use your guest data to engage past bookers and invite them to book directly with a tailored offer or campaign.
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4. Offer multi-channel support
Limiting your brand to one channel hurts guest interactions and direct bookings. Visitors should be able to message you through their preferred channel, and multi-channel support ensures you can respond while they’re still interested.
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Discover our brand-new Unified Inbox ??
Say hello to our new Unified Inbox and an email ticketing system - capture all incoming guest communication, drive powerful insights, and streamline processes.
Fueled by holistic and extensive guest data —over 300 data fields, far beyond basic details like name and email— it aims to help teams engage more easily and effectively with guests.
Here are some key features to take a peek at ??
1. Complete guest profiles ??
The new UI seamlessly integrates guest conversations with their profiles, providing teams with a comprehensive interaction history and essential context to meet guest expectations effectively.
2. A new ticketing system ???
3. Emails, messaging channels and OTA messaging
You can truly get ALL conversations into one place, including email, social media channels, and more. This creates a central hub for your communications.?
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3 best practices to create guest journeys that amaze your hotel guests
?Guest journeys have become more important in the last few years just as personalisation has risen, too.?
But creating a guest journey that amazes your guests isn’t easy, which is why we've put together 3 best practices for you to follow.
1. The starting point: a clean guest database
Hotel guest journeys are all about guest data. You need to know who your guests are and how to reach them best.?
However, hotels often face fragmented data sources like PMS, websites, and social media that don't communicate. To solve this, a CDP is needed to consolidate and organise guest data into comprehensive profiles.
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2. Make sure the right message is sent to the right segment
Personalisation in guest journeys depends on effective segmentation. Group your audience by preferences, behaviours, or demographics to send tailored messages: first-timers, returners, loyal guests, high-spenders, etc.
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3. Aim to create balance in your messaging
Hoteliers often choose between bombarding guests with messages or staying silent until check-in, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
Aim for a balanced guest journey that aligns with your brand. Some hotels find success with 3 touchpoints, while others get great feedback with 7. The right number depends on the information you share and your guests’ preferences.
Events Corner ??
The guest data blueprint: Best practices to use data in your hotel?
A free masterclass on how to use data??
Yes, that is correct.
Guest data is key, but how can you transform all that information into actionable insights that grow your property?
?In this hands-on webinar, we’ll give you a practical guide to mastering guest data.?
Whether you’re just starting to harness guest data or looking to elevate your current efforts, this session will empower you to turn data into a competitive advantage.
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You will learn:
If you work in hospitality, this is a session you can’t afford to miss!
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